100 hr Professional Development Programme
Keep learning. Keep becoming.
Freedom’s 100-Hour Professional Development Programme is a year-long mentorship for qualified yoga teachers who want to deepen their knowledge, strengthen their confidence and continue evolving long after their initial teacher training.
Across twelve specialist Freedom Masterclasses (one day a month), you’ll learn from an experienced faculty spanning therapeutic yoga, functional anatomy, philosophy, meditation, Ayurveda, inclusive teaching, energy practices and professional development.
Alongside the Masterclasses, you’ll receive private monthly mentoring with Programme Director Jax Heffer-Cooke. This is where the programme becomes personal: a space to develop not only your classes, but your wider life and identity as a yoga teacher. Together, you might explore ethical teaching, working with yogic texts, communication, confidence, branding, business ideas, community-building, social media and how to share your work in a way that feels clear, authentic and sustainable.
The Masterclasses give you new knowledge and inspiration. The mentoring helps you apply it, communicate it and build something meaningful from it.
This is more than a collection of CPD days. It is a year of investing in the teacher you are becoming
-
September 2026–September 2027.
The first Masterclass takes place on 6 September 2026.
-
SunFyr Barns, Norfolk (10 min drive from Norwich)
All twelve Freedom Masterclasses take place in person at SunFyr Barns, the home of Freedom School of Yoga.
Monthly mentoring sessions take place privately online with Jackie.
-
A year-long professional development programme comprising:
Twelve full-day, in-person Freedom Masterclasses once a month
Twelve monthly private mentoring sessions
Independent reading and reflective study
A professional development portfolio
Ongoing connection with the Freedom teaching community
-
Founding Member Programme: £1,140
Payment plan option available
12 × 1 day Masterclass
12× 1 hour Private Mentoring with Jax
-
£100 (required for instalment plans)
-
The complete Professional Development Programme is designed for qualified yoga teachers who have completed a recognised 200-hour yoga teacher training.
You do not need to have completed your original training with Freedom.
What People Are Saying
Why this 100hr programme
The best teachers never stop being students.
Finishing your first teacher training gives you the foundations to teach. It doesn’t answer every question that emerges once you begin standing at the front of a room.
How do you develop your own teaching voice? How do you work sensitively with different bodies and nervous systems? How do you create classes that feel memorable? How do you keep growing without piecing together disconnected workshops?
The Freedom 100-Hour Professional Development Programme gives you somewhere to explore those questions.
Because being a yoga teacher involves far more than planning classes. It means communicating what you believe in, building trust, nurturing a community and making thoughtful decisions about how you teach and how you share your work. The monthly mentoring gives you ongoing guidance through all of this, helping you bring together your teaching, values, voice and professional direction.
Across one supported year, you’ll learn from specialists, reflect on your own teaching and receive personal guidance as your confidence and identity continue to develop.
At Freedom, we believe that the best teachers are shaped by many voices. No single tutor can be an expert in every aspect of yoga, which is why the programme brings together an experienced faculty, united by one shared educational philosophy:
Compassionate. Evidence-informed. Philosophically grounded. Deeply human.
This isn’t simply about collecting another certificate.
It is about becoming a more knowledgeable teacher, a more thoughtful practitioner and a more confident version of yourself.
-
This programme is for qualified yoga teachers who want more than occasional workshops.
It is for teachers who want to broaden their knowledge, refine their practical skills and receive continued guidance as real questions arise through teaching.
You might be newly qualified and looking for support as you find your feet. You might have been teaching for years and feel ready for renewed inspiration. You may want to develop your confidence, explore new areas of study or reconnect with the deeper purpose behind your work.
You do not need to teach in a particular style or have completed your original qualification with Freedom. What matters is a willingness to remain curious, reflective and open to learning.
-
By the end of the programme, you will have:
Expanded your knowledge across twelve specialist areas
Strengthened your practical teaching and communication skills
Developed greater confidence working with different students
Explored new approaches to movement, philosophy and wellbeing
Refined your own authentic teaching voice
Applied your learning through personal mentoring
Built relationships with a supportive professional community
Completed a reflective independent learning portfolio
Once all programme requirements have been completed, you will receive the Freedom Professional Development Diploma – 100 Hours Continuing Professional Development
-
The Freedom Masterclasses are held at SunFyr Barns, a rural wellbeing and education centre surrounded by the open skies and countryside of Norfolk.
SunFyr is the permanent home of Freedom School of Yoga: a place created for thoughtful study, embodied practice, professional learning and genuine community.
Monthly mentoring sessions take place privately online, allowing you to remain supported between each in-person training day.
Course Content
The programme is structured around twelve 1-day specialist Freedom Masterclasses, each led by a tutor with depth and experience in their field.
Every Masterclass is a complete professional development day in its own right. Together, they create a wider journey through the physical, philosophical, therapeutic, energetic and professional dimensions of teaching yoga.
Open each section to explore what you’ll study.
-
Tutor: Nicola Stroud
Explore how stress and trauma can be experienced within the body and how yoga may support greater safety, connection and self-awareness.
Through therapeutic movement, somatic exploration and trauma-informed principles, you’ll develop practical tools for creating compassionate and responsive learning environments.
The day will consider language, choice, consent, nervous-system awareness and the importance of teaching in a way that supports agency rather than imposing a single experience on every student.
-
Tutor: Swami Atma Gyanam Saraswati
Move beyond simply placing poses together and begin creating practices with greater intelligence, meaning and purpose.
This Masterclass explores progressive sequencing, advanced postural understanding and the deeper philosophy that can underpin a skilfully constructed class.
You’ll consider how physical, energetic and philosophical intentions can shape a sequence, helping you create classes that feel coherent rather than formulaic.
-
Tutor: Kate Money
Explore movement rather than memorising isolated muscles.
This practical Masterclass introduces biomechanics, fascia and functional anatomy in a way that directly supports modern yoga teaching.
You’ll examine how different bodies move, why a posture will never look identical for everyone and how anatomical understanding can inform safer, clearer cueing.
The day will also explore respectful adjustments and how to support students without forcing bodies towards an assumed ideal.
-
Tutor: Katie
Explore voice as part of your practice and teaching through mantra, chanting, breath, vibration and Kundalini-inspired movement.
This Masterclass is designed to help you become more comfortable using your voice, expressing yourself and creating atmosphere within a class.
You’ll experience the relationship between sound, breath, energy and confidence while considering how these practices can be introduced authentically and accessibly.
-
Tutor: Michelle
Move beyond rigid alignment rules and explore a more intelligent, individualised approach to teaching posture.
You’ll develop your observational skills, refine your cueing and learn how to make thoughtful adaptations for different bodies, abilities and experiences.
The emphasis is not on creating one visually perfect pose. It is on helping each student find an appropriate balance of stability, ease, awareness and agency.
-
Tutor: Tara
Explore Yin yoga as a practice of slowing down, listening and creating space.
This Masterclass considers the physical, emotional and nervous-system effects of longer-held postures, stillness and rest.
You’ll deepen your understanding of Yin principles, fascia, appropriate use of props and the importance of creating safe, supportive environments for quieter practices.
You’ll also explore how to teach Yin with sensitivity rather than assuming stillness feels the same for everyone.
-
Tutor: Nicola Polette
Drawing on the Amnanda tradition and Tibetan Ayurveda, this Masterclass explores a more intuitive and compassionate way of understanding the people who enter our classes.
Moving beyond physical alignment alone, you’ll consider constitutional differences, energetic balance and individual needs.
The day develops greater presence, observation and sensitivity, helping you respond to students as whole people rather than bodies performing poses.
-
Tutor: Jackie Heffer-Cooke
Explore how ancient yogic wisdom can remain meaningful within contemporary life.
This Masterclass brings together yoga philosophy, mindfulness and meditation, introducing traditional practices alongside contemporary understanding informed by psychology, neuroscience and lived experience.
You’ll deepen your understanding of yoga beyond the mat and develop greater confidence teaching meditation in a way that feels authentic, grounded and accessible.
-
Tutor: Jackie Heffer-Cooke
Develop the practical skills that help turn knowledge into meaningful teaching.
This Masterclass explores authentic teaching presence, communication, sequencing, class structure, language and the many small choices that shape a student’s experience.
You’ll examine what makes a class feel coherent and memorable while developing greater confidence in your own individual style.
The aim is not to make every teacher sound the same. It is to help you teach more clearly as yourself.
-
Tutor: Jackie Heffer-Cooke
Explore what is involved in creating and facilitating a thoughtful, well-held retreat.
You’ll consider retreat design, group dynamics, emotional safety, communication, boundaries, pacing and the practical responsibilities involved in leading people through a shared experience.
The day will also examine how to create a coherent retreat journey that feels meaningful without promising unrealistic transformation.
-
Tutor: Jackie Heffer-Cooke
Explore neurodiversity, the nervous system and how different people may experience a yoga environment.
Drawing on educational research, neuroscience, lived experience and yoga philosophy, this Masterclass considers autistic experience, ADHD, sensory differences and diverse ways of processing information.
You’ll leave with practical strategies for developing clearer communication, offering meaningful choice and creating classes that are more genuinely inclusive and accessible.
The monthly mentoring is where everything you learn begins to take shape around you, your values and the work you want to create.
These sessions are much more than conversations about class plans. They offer private, personalised support as you develop your teaching voice, build your confidence and consider the bigger picture of your work as a yoga teacher.
You might explore how to teach ethically and bring yogic philosophy and traditional texts into modern classes with integrity. You might work on the language you use, the way you communicate your ideas or how to create experiences that feel clear, inclusive and genuinely connected.
The mentoring can also support the practical side of building a sustainable teaching life—from shaping your brand and offers to identifying your communication pillars, creating meaningful social media content and growing a community around your work.
There is no fixed formula. Each session responds to where you are, what you are navigating and what you want to develop next.
Knowledge gives you more to work with. Mentoring helps you make it your own.
You will be mentored on:
Your teaching voice, language and communication
Ethical teaching and working with yogic texts
Class ideas, sequencing and student experiences
Confidence, boundaries and professional decision-making
Branding and developing a clear identity
Building and nurturing your community
Creating workshops, courses or retreats
Social media and communication pillars
Marketing your work without losing its integrity
Business ideas, offers and sustainable growth
Dates
The programme runs across twelve in-person Masterclasses from September 2026 to September 2027.
Each month offers a new area of learning, followed by time to reflect, practise and apply what you have explored within your own teaching.
Between the in-person days, you’ll continue receiving private mentoring and remain connected to the programme.
The order of the individual Masterclasses will be confirmed once the complete faculty timetable has been finalised.
-
6 September 2026
4 October 2026
1 November 2026
17 January 2027
7 February 2027
14 March 2027
4 April 2027
2 May 2027
6 June 2027
11 July 2027
8 August 2027
12 September 2027
Your Training, Your Support
Eligibility, assessment, and what’s included
Applicants to the full Professional Development Programme must have completed a recognised 200-hour yoga teacher training.
You can join whether you trained with Freedom or another established training provider.
To receive the Freedom Professional Development Diploma, participants will need to:
Attend all twelve Freedom Masterclasses
Complete the required independent learning
Submit a reflective professional development portfolio
Meet any additional completion criteria confirmed before enrolment
The programme fee includes:
Twelve in-person Freedom Masterclasses
Twelve private monthly mentoring sessions
Programme learning resources
Guidance for the independent learning portfolio
Connection with the Freedom teaching community
The Freedom Professional Development Diploma upon successful completion
Required books, travel, accommodation and any optional additional events are not included.
Meet your Programme Director: Jackie Heffer-Cooke
Jax brings a grounded and thoughtful approach to yoga shaped by years of personal practice, professional teaching and experience leading classes, retreats and teacher-training programmes.
Her work honours yoga’s traditions while considering the realities of teaching in the modern world with honesty, curiosity and care.
Before working in wellbeing, Jax spent more than a decade as an executive television producer, leading teams and creating content within demanding professional environments. She has since applied those skills to developing several yoga and wellbeing organisations, including Freedom Yoga & Retreats, SunFyr Barns and Freedom Wellbeing Projects.
Jax remains Programme Director throughout the year. She oversees the curriculum, works closely with the specialist faculty and ensures that each Masterclass contributes to one coherent educational journey.
Most importantly, she provides monthly private mentoring to every full-programme member.
These sessions offer space to discuss the reality of teaching: confidence, students, sequencing, difficult classes, professional decisions, retreat ideas, marketing, business development or simply how your identity as a teacher is changing.
Jax also holds an MA in Global Social Development from the University of East Anglia. Questions of ethics, cultural integrity and social responsibility continue to underpin her approach to yoga education
Other teacher trainings (& specialist pathways)
If you’d like to specialise alongside the diploma, or add new pathways after you qualify, these shorter trainings offer clear, professional routes into teaching specific groups. Each is designed with safety, inclusivity and real-world delivery in mind- with options to train in person or live online, depending on the course.
-
A three-day, 45-hour training designed to help you teach safe, inclusive and inspiring pregnancy yoga, offered in person or live online.
Discover more:
https://www.zenmuma.co.uk/pregnancy-yoga-teacher-training-online-contact
-
A three-day, 45-hour training covering newborn to 24 months, with emphasis on safety, bonding, postnatal recovery and baby development, offered in person or live online.
Discover More:
https://www.zenmuma.co.uk/baby-post-natal-massage-yoga-teacher-training-online-contact
-
A three-day, 45-hour training for ages 2–11 using movement, mindfulness, stories and nervous system support, offered in person or live online.
Discover More:
https://www.zenmuma.co.uk/childrens-teen-yoga-teacher-training-online-contact
-
Training designed for working with teens safely and confidently, with age-appropriate delivery and wellbeing tools.
Discover More:
https://www.zenmuma.co.uk/teens-yoga-teacher-training-online-contact
-
Jax’s teaching philosophy is deeply rooted in honouring the traditional practices of the Far East while integrating the Western lens of science and reason. She believes in respecting the origins of yoga transparently and authentically while adapting its teachings to be meaningful and practical in our modern, daily lives.
Our mission is to guide you toward becoming the yoga practitioner or teacher you truly aspire to be. Whether your focus is on deepening your asana practice, exploring yoga therapy for mental health, or connecting with ceremony and the subtle body, our training is uniquely tailored to honour your individuality. We’re not here to produce one-size-fits-all graduates who follow one rigid discipline; we’re here to nurture your journey, empowering you to embody the practice or teaching style that aligns with your authentic self.
FAQs
-
The Freedom 100-Hour Professional Development Programme is designed for qualified yoga teachers who want to continue learning beyond their initial teacher training.
It is suitable for newly qualified teachers finding their feet, as well as experienced teachers looking for renewed inspiration, broader knowledge and ongoing professional support.
-
Yes. To join the complete programme, you must have completed a recognised 200-hour yoga teacher training.
The programme builds on the foundations of an initial teaching qualification rather than replacing them.
-
No. The programme is open to qualified yoga teachers from Freedom and other recognised training schools.
You’ll be asked to provide details of your previous qualification when applying.
-
No. This is a continuing professional development programme for people who are already qualified to teach yoga.
Those looking to gain their first teaching qualification should explore Freedom’s 200-Hour Foundation Yoga Teacher Training.
-
No. You may be newly qualified, preparing to begin teaching or returning after some time away.
The programme is designed to support you wherever you are in your teaching journey.
-
The complete programme brings together specialist education and personalised professional support.
The programme includes:
Twelve full-day Freedom Masterclasses
Twelve private monthly mentoring and coaching sessions with Jax, shaped around your teaching, communication, community and professional development
Independent learning and reflective study
Guidance for your professional development portfolio
Programme resources
Connection with the Freedom teaching community
The Freedom Professional Development Diploma on successful completion
-
The twelve Masterclasses explore a broad range of subjects, including:
Therapeutic and trauma-informed yoga
Functional anatomy and biomechanics
Advanced sequencing
Intelligent alignment
Yin and restorative practice
Kundalini yoga, mantra and voice
Prana and energy awareness
Ayurveda and the Amnanda perspective
Yoga philosophy and meditation
Teaching methodology
Retreat leadership
Neurodiversity and inclusive teaching
The programme also supports you in developing greater confidence, clarity and authenticity as a teacher.
-
Members receive one private online mentoring session with Jackie each month (one hour).
These sessions are shaped around what is happening in your own teaching. You might bring questions about sequencing, confidence, students, difficult classes, professional development, retreats, marketing, business or the direction of your work.
The Masterclasses introduce new knowledge. The mentoring helps you apply it to your own teaching.
-
Yes. The monthly mentoring sessions are private one-to-one conversations with Jackie.
They offer individual support throughout the year and give you space to discuss the questions and challenges that are most relevant to you.
-
We understand that work, family, illness and travel do not always fit neatly around a year-long programme.
If you miss a Masterclass, you’ll remain part of the programme, continue receiving your monthly mentoring and stay connected to the community. You can attend the missed Masterclass the next time it is offered.
Your diploma will be awarded once all twelve Masterclasses and the independent learning requirements have been completed.
-
The twelve Freedom Masterclasses take place in person at SunFyr Barns in Norfolk, the home of Freedom School of Yoga.
Monthly mentoring sessions take place online.
-
The programme runs from September 2026 to September 2027 and includes twelve in-person Masterclass days.
The current dates are:
6 September 2026
4 October 2026
1 November 2026
17 January 2027
7 February 2027
14 March 2027
4 April 2027
2 May 2027
6 June 2027
11 July 2027
August 2027 — date to be confirmed
September 2027 — date to be confirmed
The order of the Masterclasses will be confirmed once the faculty timetable is finalised.
-
Each Masterclass is a full in-person training day.
10am - 5:30pm
-
Assessment is based on participation, independent learning and a reflective professional development portfolio.
The portfolio gives you an opportunity to connect what you learn during the Masterclasses with your own classes, students and development as a teacher.
This is not about passing a traditional exam. It is about demonstrating thoughtful engagement with the programme and your ongoing growth.
-
Once you have completed all twelve Freedom Masterclasses and the required independent learning portfolio, you will receive the:
Freedom Professional Development Diploma – 100 Hours Continuing Professional Development
This is an advanced professional development award and does not replace an initial 200-hour teaching qualification.
-
The programme provides 100 hours of continuing professional development and leads to the Freedom Professional Development Diploma.
External accreditation is currently being finalised. The website should be updated with the accrediting organisation once formal approval has been confirmed.
-
The programme costs £1,140
This includes twelve full-day Masterclasses, twelve private mentoring sessions, independent portfolio support, learning resources and the Freedom Professional Development Diploma.
-
A deposit of £100 will secure your place.
The remaining balance can be paid over the year.
We will reach out to you if you select a payment plan whilst applying.
-
Unless otherwise stated, the programme fee does not include:
Travel to and from SunFyr Barns
Accommodation
Required books
Meals and refreshments
Optional additional events or workshops
Confirm the final inclusions before publishing.
-
Course fees, including deposits and instalment payments, are non-refundable once the statutory cooling-off period has passed.
If you can no longer attend, you may ask to transfer your place to another eligible participant or to a future Freedom programme. We will consider transfer requests individually, subject to availability, eligibility and the timing of the request. Transfers cannot be guaranteed.
If Freedom cancels the programme, you will be offered a transfer or a refund for the training that has been cancelled.
-
The full 100-hour programme is designed for qualified yoga teachers.
Some individual Masterclasses may also be suitable for experienced practitioners, depending on the subject and level of the training. Please contact the Freedom team before booking.
-
Of course! We understand that committing to a year-long programme is a significant decision.
You can request a conversation with Jackie or a member of the Freedom team to talk through the programme, your previous training and what you hope to gain from the year.